The Hour Before the Dawn
by Andraiyel
Summary: AU. The hour before the dawn. The time when normalcy is returning, when the horrors that exist behind closed doors once again back down. But what happens when the dawn never comes? RenBya YAOI
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Oh the irony, publishing a new story when I never update my other ones. Eh, well this first chapter is short.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not even going to dignify this with a response... *shakes head sadly* Why do you mock me so...

* * *

The stars that night were dimmer than they had ever been before, almost nonexistent in the inky black sky. The moon, normally a bright beacon to lost souls everywhere, was hidden behind clouds that could not be seen, melding its safe haven of soft yellow glow into a never ending chasm of darkness. Black painted the skies and the land, seeping into the depths of every living thing. The silence was overwhelming. The tension so thick, someone could cut it with a knife. It was perfect. They had been waiting for this night for a very long time.

* * *

He sat quietly and as still as possible on the branch, high above the distant ground. It was a quiet night, save for the variety of calls courtesy of the local fauna. Somewhere in the distance a dog was barking madly, probably having spotted a stray cat balancing along the rooftops. But this did not disturb his concentration.

'C'mon, just a bit more!' he thought to himself, an arms length away from his current goal.

Leaning ever so slightly forward on the thick arm of the tree, he increased his concentration tenfold, not even noticing the spindly twig crack somewhere above his head. He squinted his eyes and a vein throbbed at his temple, straining his mind to only focus on the one thing before him. He was probably going to burst a blood vessel if he didn't take a breather, but he figured if he willed it with his mind then it would happen. Maybe.

'C'mon, take your clothes off…' he thought over and over in his mind, concentrating every possible part of his brain on the man in front of him. Well, maybe not all of his mind. Enough, though, that he didn't hear the giggle above him and the rustle of leaves.

There were other thoughts accompanying his main focus of concentration, but none that he was willing to share with anyone, like what he wanted to do to that stoic noble before him. Oh what he could do to that lithe body, that milky white skin, sitting between those long sensuous legs and- 'YES, YES, YES!' his mind screamed as the noble reached up to loosen the collar of his shirt, revealing just a small part of that satiny, porcelain neck. Now if only he would take off the-

"Oh you dirty, dirty boy!" a scolding voice rang out from behind him, dripping with amusement, accompanying a whack upside the head.

"What the-!" His arms pin-wheeled as he tried to regain his balance, his perch on the branch slowly slipping out from beneath his feet as the distant ground got oh so much closer.

THUD.

"Goddamnit!" he yelled up from his new position on the ground, freshly fallen autumn leaves littering his fiery red hair and crunching under his body as he moved.

The other man chuckled heartily at the other's misfortune from his high up perch in the tree, twirling his infamous cane in one pale hand.

"Ah, Renji. I see you still have a lot to learn about the art of mind control, and detection as well it seems," he said, grinning widely at the last part.

Renji jumped up and was back in the tree in a second flat, making a snatch at that damn stick the other loved to carry around with him. But the other man was too fast and was already on another branch in the tree before he had even finished closing his hand around the air where the cane used to be.

"Damnit, Urahara! What the hell was that for?!" Renji griped, rubbing the back of his sore head where he had been thwacked.

The blonde man simply grinned widely in response. "I would give a thousand dollars for your thoughts Red, that has got to be the best porno ever!"

Renji gaped at him. "How did you- I mean, that is disgusting!" A red tint was coloring his cheeks, almost the same color as the braid that ran to between his shoulder blades. "I would never think such things!" he yelled angrily, his temper rising at the thought of the old man knowing his little hobby.

Urahara gave him a knowing wink. "~Suuuuuure," he said, drawing out the word like there would never be an ending to it.

Renji glowered at him. "You're one to talk, ya old goat! You and your fascination with that one chick over in the next county!"

The blonde's grin faltered ever so slightly. "Hmm, yes. I had forgotten about that… I will admit that I was observing Miss Shiouin, but that was simply to make sure that no one else got to taste her before I did."

"You say that like it's a past tense thing."

"Well, surely it is," Urahara continued, his white teeth glistening in the moonlight. "Like I said, simply observing her just so that no one else got to her before I did," he finished, waving his cane in the red head's direction.

This made Renji laugh. They both knew it wasn't even necessary for the blonde to lift a finger if he wanted something. All he had to do was look at someone in a certain way and everything he had ever wanted was at his feet. Lucky bastard.

This time it was Renji's turn to mock the other, drawling out a, "~Suuuuuure," with the same condescending tone. A glint of some unknown emotion passed through the light grey eyes of Urahara, but he didn't say anything, just kept smiling.

Renji glanced back over at his current object of obsession, but the commotion outside had yet to catch his attention, either that or he was good at pretending. Hopefully it was the first one.

With a sigh, the red head slid down the trunk of the tree and started to make his way back to the Hollow, not wanting to hang around with Urahara anymore.

"Oh ho! Don't let my little interruption stop you from your peeping, you Tom you," the elder called from the tree, a grin spreading itself back across his face.

Without even turning around, Renji flipped him the bird and kept on walking, calling over his shoulder, "Fuck you, ya old goat."

"Love you too, dear," Urahara replied, an amused grin plastered on his face as he watched Renji's retreating back, unnaturally white teeth glistening as he turned his mischievous gaze on the man that the other had been watching. "Love you too."

* * *

A/N: So yeah. Confusion? If so, just post your question in a review/PM me. Again, first chapter was short, but it will be longer next time! And it was kind of just a set up for the story. If you love me, and if you ever wanna see this get updated, reviews are appreciated(necessary). X3

(P.S. there was an amazing zombie here that would eat your soul if you didn't review, but sadly he wouldn't save to the document....)

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	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay, just a heads up, this chapter is honestly confusing(if you didn't already get stuck up on the first chapter...) There are four scene changes, with four technical changes of POV(if you count that it is third person still, but just focusing on another character/group of characters).

* * *

A soft, eerie melody swept through the grandiose halls. Simple, yet endearing, holding the attention of any one person for as long as it was played. A melancholy tune that was easily identifiable by anyone as being the masterful playing skill of one person alone.

Said person was sitting at the piano bench, back rigidly straight, fingers spread over the cool, ivory keys, moving back and forth at a sloth-like pace. Soft key-strokes and even softer notes, but the produced sound was sharp enough to cut into one's very soul; a deep, meaningful piece, speaking a thousand words at once, yet not uttering a single sound. It was difficult not to be captured by such emotional playing.

There was a lull in the music as Sosuke Aizen glanced up to see a silver-haired man standing directly behind him, entranced by the beauty of the notes. "May I help you?" he inquired, his tone soft, yet a certain aspect of it portrayed him as a man not to be messed with.

The other simply smiled, his slanted eyes and sharp features giving him a devilish look of mal-intent. "Why wha' beautiful playin' ya have. Tha' thar' is a skill not easily acquired," he said with a slight slur of his words. There was an accent in his voice that Aizen was loath to place, of some distant land. That, at least, was for certain. Why he was there, though, was the question at hand.

"Of course, however, to place credit where credit is due, I cannot claim that such talent is mine alone." He ran his hand gently over the piano, his fingers lightly caressing the soft African Blackwood of which it was constructed, his touch gliding over the inky black finish that had been placed atop the already dark wood. "The true power of any musician comes from the instrument he plays," the brunette said in a reverent tone.

The silver-haired man walked a little ways across the room, examining the other instruments that were there, coming across an interestingly shaped violin and a variety of others, but his true attention never leaving the ornate piano. Something in his gaze said that he was more than an observer come to listen.

"Ah, she sure is a beauty. An instrument like tha' must hold a place in ya heart. Somethin' like her surely has a name," he said, the smile never leaving his face and his eyes never opening as the conversation continued.

"Why yes." Brushing an imaginary particle of dust off of one of the ivory keys, Aizen slowly lowered the lid over the immaculate keys and turned to face his visitor better. "Kyoka Suigetsu," he said.

If it were possible, the other man's grin widened, encompassing an even larger area of his pale face. Something in that grin told Aizen that this man knew a lot more than he was letting on. The silver-haired man somehow looked triumphant now.

"A strong name indeed." This exchange of pleasantries and small talk was becoming tiresome to Aizen, but he knew the fox-like man would reveal his agenda sooner rather than later.

The room grew silent, no longer filled with music or conversation. But it was not an awkward silence, merely one that just came to be, both men not making a sound, hoping to stretch it out for as long as possible. It was Aizen who finally spoke.

"May I ask you your name?"

"Tha' is not importan'," the man replied simply, staring at Aizen intently, his grin never faltering.

"Would you mind telling me what is important then?"

The other broke eye contact and stared out the window, watching as the red and yellow leaves blew around in the autumn wind, the early morning sun reflecting off the frost on the grass. He seemed to be pondering something as he stared blankly, but it was hard to tell with a man like that.

When he turned back around to face the brunette his grin was still there, but his slitted eyes had opened ever so slightly, crimson red irises staring viciously into light brown ones. Aizen didn't even flinch under the gaze of those ghastly eyes.

"They sent meh to come get'cha, but I think ya already knew that."

Immediately Aizen knew exactly whom it was that he was dealing with.

* * *

One small, devil-like, pink-haired child was kicking her feet back and forth as she sat high above the ground on the table in the unnaturally white room. She didn't want to be there, but she knew if she cooperated, there were treats involved, sweet pastries with even sweeter glazing, to be exact. So she sat. Albeit impatiently.

"~Ken-chaaaaan!" she drawled, still staring at the white walls. "Are we almost done in this place?"

"Hnn," grunted the large man sitting in the corner of the room with his arms crossed over his chest. She turned to face him.

"That's not an answer silly!" she replied, jumping off the table and into his lap, pulling at his cheeks with her chubby little fingers. He let out a sigh, not bothering to try and remove the little girl from her hold on his face.

"Be patient," he growled in a deep, rumbling voice, the complete opposite of her sweet and sugary high-pitched voice.

Just as she was about to start whining some more about how unfair that was, a woman with a long brown braid stepped into the room. Kenpachi immediately stood up and set the pink-haired demon back onto the table. He lumbered over to where the woman stood by the door and stooped over to talk to her quietly, so that the child would not overhear the conversation.

"Retsu, she's not-" The braided woman took one glance at the child from the corner of her eye and smiled.

"No," she cut him off. "Little Yachiru is still the same as she was last week when you brought her in. I see no evidence of any changes and no signs that there will be any changes in the future. I assure you, all is well."

Kenpachi immediately looked noticeably relieved. "Thanks, I'm sorry I keep bothering you like this," he said apologetically, glancing back over at Yachiru who had resumed kicking her feet back and forth.

She walked over to the table and patted the pink-haired child's head lovingly. "No need to worry, I enjoy your visits, " she said smiling at Yachiru.

Yachiru smiled back at her and asked, "Doc-chan, do you have any cookies today?" Just like magic, Unohana pulled a rather large cookie out of the wide sleeve of her haori and handed it to the reaching child.

"Yay! Ken-chan, look!" she exclaimed, holding the oversized treat up for him to see before chomping down on the sugar filled snack.

Unohana glided back over to where Kenpachi was standing and advised, "Just continue watching her, for if anything happens, it will happen soon," before walking out of the white room.

* * *

Renji sat on the ground, golden leaves littering the grass all around him. He was leaning against the cool bark of the tree behind him and had his eyes closed peacefully.

The sun had risen hours ago, but he wasn't tired and he was deep enough in the grove of trees that the suns rays could not reach him, unable to penetrate through the thick foliage. For once, it was surprisingly quiet.

But his mind was restless. The only thing he could think about was that man from the other night, his thoughts continuously traveling back to him. Not that this was new. He had probably been watching the noble for about a week or two. He wasn't really sure how it had started, or why for that matter, but there was something about the stoic man that brought Renji back to his window each night. And that was what he was trying to figure out, well maybe not himself but the voice that occupied his thoughts more often than not.

'You are foolish in your quest for this man, Renji Abarai. You do not know his name. You do not know his age. In fact, you do not even know his eye color.'

'The hell I do! They're grey! Plus, I don't need to know his name or any of that other shit.'

'But you wish to know.'

'That is a bullshit lie! If I knew everything about him that would make me a stalker.'

'Says the man that sits outside his window on a nightly basis without fail.'

'Shut the hell up Zabimaru! No one asked you!'

'I beg to differ. If I remember correctly, it was you that started this conversation with me. I was simpl-'

Renji ripped the silver necklace from his neck in one swift movement, throwing it to the ground far away. The silver chain landed in a patch of sunlight a few yards away, the silver encased snake fang, with a strip of ruby stones running down the middle, landing atop the coiled chain, sunlight leaking through the thick foliage of the trees onto it.

The red head's ears pricked as he heard the hissing of the metal as the sun hit the silver, watching as the steam rolled of the shiny, smooth surface. He sat there for a few minutes more, not really wanting to go and retrieve the artifact, but knowing that if he didn't Urahara would probably give him one hell of a whacking with that cane of his and he knew his value to the clan would shrink exponentially. That and he also began to feel the pull that kept himself and Zabimaru connected becoming strained.

"You're lucky I need you Zabimaru," he grunted as he pushed himself up off of the ground and reached over to grab up the chain.

Zabimaru's voice immediately flashed into his head as his hand brushed the chain to grab it, sounding forced and in pain.

'Shut up,' Renji said in a menacing tone as he ran his fingers over the fang, mending the damaged silver and re-encasing the long fang.

The other worldly entity bristled at the command coming from someone it viewed as having lower intelligence than itself, however it did not reply.

Renji plopped himself back down against the tree and reattached the necklace so that it was in its original place resting around his tattooed neck. It was probably only midday, so that meant another good seven hours before he could move from that grove.

He closed his eyes; it was going to be a long day.

* * *

Obsidian eyes flashed dangerously as they stared out at the setting sun. This was getting ridiculous.

His sleepless eyes flashed to the tree that stood a ways away from his window. Its branches seemed to extend forever, some even reaching the window of his bedroom.

That was part of the problem.

He had not been able to sleep for the better part of two weeks, with those eyes watching him each night. Oh and he knew they were there. He could feel them on his skin at night and it made him shudder. He could feel them undressing him as he sat in his room each night; it was unnerving. Why they were there, he did not have the slightest idea.

He watched as the leaves cascaded to the ground, winter nearing within the next few weeks. The days were already growing shorter and the nights longer at each passing day. He did not have time to entertain the dirty thoughts of someone sitting outside his window. As he sat on the window seat a figure entered the room silently.

"Monsieur Kuchiki, your expected guests have arrived as predicted, they are waiting your arrival in the north sitting room," the figure said, standing near the door by which he had entered.

Byakuya Kuchiki waved him off dismissively, not even bothering to turn and look at the other person. "Very well, tell them I will be with them in but a few moments," replied the stoic man at the window.

He had far to many things to deal with. Enough was enough and tonight it was going to end.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was necessary to move the (possible?) plot along. Next chapter will hopefully be more...entertaining...

Anyways, confusion is understandable, leave any questions you have in a review, or you can PM me if you so wish to do so.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. (*_* I see you ninja readers)

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